#and whose life was turned upside down because her society was treating her and those with her birth defects like scum

[irregularbillcipher]

someday i'm gonna write something about how futurama is such a rich series from a "literally all three protagonists are disabled in some way and parts of this show are such a disability power fantasy" perspective

#like fry is a canonically audhd character played by an audhd actor who has synthesesia and dexterity issues #and has survived five heart attacks #and whose 'brain thing' (aka his neurodivergency) is the literal key to saving the world on multiple occasions #like god. the most important person in the universe is and always ill be this disabled guy with a good heart #(morally i mean. like i said five heart attacks) #and then leela is a physically disabled woman who was been defined her whole life by her facial defect #who learns that her whole family is actually disabled (mutated) and starts fighting like HELL for them #and whose life was turned upside down because her society was treating her and those with her birth defects like scum #to the point her parents had to give her up and try to pass her off as an alien instead of a disabled human just to make sure she had right #AND she has some severe anger issues and a whole boatload of mental illnesses #and some incredibly clear trauma from the ableism she's faced #but she's still incredibly loved and desired and competent! #and then there's bender who has a whole section of his wiki dedicated to the bugs and glitches he has #who was born without a backup drive which to robots is absolutely a disability #who has a faulty inhibition chip #also he unusual empathy emotions and thought processes from both a human and robot perspective #like he doesn't experience empathy in the same way humans do but he also has free will unlike literally every other robot #and has moments where he's clearly feeling things in a way a lot of other robots in the series don't #(sometimes played for laughs like the 'as a robot i don't have emotions and that makes me very sad' line) #but also often taken seriously #not to mention the whole point of lethal inspection where bender finds out he has a factory defect #and wants to find and yell at the guy who approved him even though he was mortal-- a defect by robot standards

[shemakesmusic-uk]

Simpson is a Richmond-based singer and rapper who you may also know as Babe Simpson, one-fourth of the Tumblr-born rap collective Barf Troop. They dazed the internet back in the early 2010s with their uncensored, forward-thinking rhymes and aesthetics, and even got the attention of Drake. Though the collective has gone silent in recent years, Simpson has since cultivated her own steady following around her soft, and ruminative tunes. Her latest is 'Cherry Ice Cream Sundae,' a song about "treating ourselves with as much tenderness as we treat everyone else," she says, and is backed by a lush landscape of jazzy guitars and drums — a sound that could be considered a close sibling to the rap lullabies of Noname. Simpson's now sharing the song's peculiar video, which features a charming but eerie cast of marionette puppets. Over email, Simpson explains that she wrote the song after experiencing "a feeling that I’ve always been trying to put into words but I don’t think I was mature enough to be able to sing. I reached my breaking point where I was like, f*ck it, whatever happens, happens, and I’m gonna look on the bright side everywhere I can. I’m going to 'smile because I can.' I actually changed the original opening lyrics from 'The world is in the shitter' to 'Life is kind to who’s kind to it back.' The world has always been in the shitter, but that hasn’t made it any less special or sweet. I think that’s made me much more of a realist. I recorded it tipsy, upside down, hanging off my bed as a freestyle, and it felt so natural saying and listening to it back made me feel so proud." [via NYLON]

Earlier this week, Lana Del Rey revealed the artwork and tracklist for her new album Chemtrails Over The Country Club. Back in October, Del Rey shared the album’s lead single 'Let Me Love You Like A Woman.' It was the first song she shared from the album after postponing its planned September release. Now, she’s sharing the album’s second single and title track. She’s also announced that Chemtrails Over The Country Club will be out March 19. In a lengthy interview with BBC Radio 1 — during which she talked about the Trump insurrection and her album cover controversy — she mentioned that Jack Antonoff produced much of the album, minus 'Yosemite,' which was produced with Rick Nowels. Watch a music video for the album’s title track, directed by BRTHR, above. In a different kind of statement, prior to the release of the 'Chemtrails Over The Country Club' music video, Del Rey explained why she is wearing a cast in it: "When you see my second video for this album, don’t think that the fact I’m wearing a cast is symbolic for anything other than thinking I was still a pro figure skater. I wiped out on my beautiful skates before the video even began after a long day of figure eights and jumps in the twilight of the dezert. Anyways my fracture isn’t that bad kind of goes with my new bucket hat. Thanks to my beautiful family for my gifts." [via Stereogum]

Joining forces for the new uplifting track, G Flip and mxmtoon are sharing new empowerment anthem ‘Queen’, produced by Rostam Batmanglij. "'Queen' was written about the strong women around me, the queens that raised me and the queens I’ve met through my years,” G Flip explains. “My idea of a queen is not necessarily linked to gender; queens come in all forms and walks of life. To me a queen embodies power and strength; they embrace all they are fiercely yet gracefully. The song was written one sunny day in LA, I was chillin on Rostam’s lovely white couch and he turned around to me and said ‘how about we write a song about Queens’ and I replied with ‘F@!K yeah!’. I’m also super stoked to have mxmtoon on the track with me, she is an absolute queen. I first was introduced to her when I was trying to find ukulele chords to a Khalid song and found her cover on YouTube years ago. She makes awesome music and her voice has such a cruisy timbre to it so I was thrilled to have her jump on 'Queen' with me. She is also an avid croc lover and part of the LGBTQIA+ community, so obviously it just made sense!” mxmtoon adds, “So happy to be a part of ‘Queen’ with G! she and Rostam were such a joy to work with and so so much fun to collaborate with on creative as well. I’m so glad that it’s still possible to make art and music with someone even when they’re on the other side of the world, and I’m lucky that I got the opportunity to feature on G’s song. ‘Queen’ is a power anthem for any person, and I’m so excited for people to love it as much as we do!” [via DIY]

With her hotly-anticipated new album Magic Mirror out now, Pearl Charles gave us our latest teaser of what to expect earlier this week, sharing new glitzy bop ‘Only For Tonight’. “‘Only for Tonight’ tells the story of a currently bygone era of wild nights out on the town - the highs and lows of one night stands and the crashes of the morning after,” she explains. “The music video, directed by Bobbi Rich, leans into those excesses, paying a sparkly homage to the late-night musical television shows of the 70’s, from Soul Train to The Midnight Special, as well as the gauzy, Vaseline’d lens of ABBA’s music videos. With an added sprinkling of VHS special effects, you’re likely to feel like you’re watching a home-taped recording of a lost episode of Top of the Pops.” [via DIY]

Alt-pop trailblazer dodie has shared her new single 'Hate Myself' in full. Everything the songwriter touches seems to turn into melodic gold, with her debut album Build A Problem landing this Spring. Out on March 5, it's led by new single 'Hate Myself', which made its bow as Annie Mac's Hottest Record In The World. It's an apt title, with this instantly-viral moment offering an "inner monologue" that touches on some of dodie's inner-most feelings. The song depicts "someone who seems to find themselves in relationships of any kind with people who deal with their feelings internally - unfortunately resulting in assuming the issue is with them." dodie co-directed the video alongside Sammy Paul, shooting at the Cornish seaside village Polperro. The pair "excitedly landed on the silly idea of the training leading up to becoming a post-lady, and thoroughly enjoyed planning the many bizarre exercises she would have to perfect. Our excellent Art Director, Louis Grant, worked on bringing her home and training station to life. Though jogging on cliff tops in the rain, carrying a large sack and slipping in the mud was certainly cold and exhausting, I think I preferred it to slowly feeling sicker, licking stamps on a swaying boat by the Excel." [via Clash]

Berlin-based indie five-piece People Club are back with new single and video 'Francine', following on from their last release 'Lay Down Your Weapons', which focused on police brutality.  The new single 'Francine' tackles the topics of addiction and lovelessness. In the words of the band: "The song speaks from the voice of a lamenting partner whose lover (Francine) is helplessly addicted to drugs. Francine lost interest in her relationship with the narrator a long time ago. It's a song about commitment and how love can fade away leaving only wickedness behind."  Regarding the visuals, the band said "The 'Francine' video is a play on the old idiom of 'being your own worst enemy'. A phrase which quite beautifully captures the inner critic which we know so well, especially during the course of the pandemic - we've had to learn to each give ourselves a break. The video was shot in the depth of the harsh Berlin winter, in the depth of the pandemic." Director Felix Spitta added "I love the band and I love the different personalities. It is always heaps of fun working on creative output together. Riding through Berlin only with bikes and all the film equipment in the freezing cold almost felt like a masochistic idea from Saxon. It's inspiring to be surrounded by so many creative minds.”

Pale Waves are back with 'Easy', the third single to be shared from their highly-anticipated second album Who Am I?. Lead vocalist Heather Baron-Gracie describes the new track as "a song about how love can change your whole entire perspective on life itself. It’s saying ‘being in love with you is so easy, you finally make sense in my life because nothing did before'." The new single is accompanied by a James Slater-directed video that shows Baron-Gracie performing at a Tim Burton/medieval-style wedding in an abandoned church. Baron-Gracie adds, "I wore a wedding dress throughout and we shot the video in an old abandoned church. I’m really inspired by the gothic medieval aesthetic and at the time I was thinking of the video I was watching a lot of Tim Burton films whose creativity really inspires me." Pale Waves' second album will follow their 2018 debut LP My Mind Makes Noises. Baron-Gracie says of their upcoming album, "For me, music and art is for people not to feel so alone and isolated. I want to be that person my fans look up to and find comfort in." [via the Line Of Best Fit]

The official video for Zoe Wees’ new single, 'Girls Like Us,' is online now. Like the song, the clip sends a message of togetherness and solidarity to girls around the world who are feeling the pressures of society. Zoe Wees says, “It’s not always good to think about how you look to the rest of the world. It’s much more important to think about how you feel inside. It is not easy to call yourself beautiful but being confident helps you to accept and love yourself.” The 18-year-old Hamburg, Germany-based artist adds, “We’re walking through a world with blinded eyes. At the end of the day, we all go to bed without make-up with the ugliest clothes and wake up with the messiest hair on earth.”

Julien Baker has shared a new taste of her forthcoming album Little Oblivions by way of a new single ‘Hardline’. Julien says, “A few years ago I started collecting travel ephemera again with a loose idea of making a piece of art with it. I had been touring pretty consistently since 2015 and had been traveling so much that items like plane tickets and hotel keycards didn't have much novelty anymore. So I saved all my travel stuff and made a little collage of a house and a van out of it. I wanted to incorporate it into the record and when we were brainstorming ideas for videos we came across Joe Baughman and really liked his work so we reached out with the idea of making a stop-motion video that had similar aesthetic qualities as the house I built did. I don't know why I have the impulse to write songs or make tiny sculptures out of plane tickets. But here it is anyway: a bunch of things I've collected and carried with me that I've re-organized into a new shape.” The video for ‘Hardline’ was directed by Joe Baughman, who notes: “Man, even after having spent 600 hours immersed in ‘Hardline’ and having listened to it thousands of times, I am still moved by it. It was a fun and ambitious challenge creating something that could accompany such a compelling song. The style of the set design, inspired by a sculpture that Julien created, was especially fun to work in. I loved sifting through magazines, maps, and newspapers from the 60s and 70s and finding the right colors, shapes, and quotes to cover almost every surface in the video.”

Teenage Joans are staying true to their world and unveiling 'Something About Being Sixteen', a new single that's sure to cement their 2021 as victorious. It's the perfect successor to 'Three Leaf Clover' and a track that makes it two-for-two for Teenage Joans, further capturing the excitement and energy within Cahli and Tahlia as they trade catchy riffs and thriving choruses with the combo of light-heartedness and intimateness that seems to define Teenage Joans' work, and how they're able to look in at themselves (and out at the world around them) through a lens that keeps it fun and digestable. "'Something About Being Sixteen' is undoubtedly Teenage Joans' great take on the classic coming of age rock tune, generally closing our live sets with audiences singing along every time without fail," the duo say on the single. [via Pilerats]

Kate Hollowell took a risk going by the moniker Number One Popstar when she released her debut single 'Psycho.' However, Hollowell didn’t mind if that choice set her up for failure or not. She goes with the flow. Luckily, that mentality has advanced her even farther. Now, Number One Popstar releases her second single, 'I Hate Running.' New Year’s resolutions are, most of the times, created for the wrong reasons. It’s also no surprise that majority of people’s goals center around exercising and weight loss. 'I Hate Running', however, challenges that mindset, satirizing the toxic nature of exercise industry and diet culture. Hollowell said herself, “The song explores facing the hard, emotional work instead of the physical.  I really don’t enjoy running, and I wanted to troll the exercise industry and write an anti-motivational song.” In terms of sound, 'I Hate Running' shares similar vibes to her first single with its classic 80s pop of saturated synths. But, this time, there’s a hint of disco with the zealous psychedelic guitar and electric drums and keys. The interludes consist of a symbolic, robotic, and almost sinister snippet from a workout instructor. It all complements well with Hollowell’s escapist lyrics. Even though the lyrics say otherwise, the track’s sound might just spark that motivation to workout or dance, doing mindful movement that makes us feel good. Exercise should never feel like a punishment, and Number One Popstar is here to remind us. She makes us want to stick it to the exercise industry, proving to it that we will only work out for the right reasons. [via Earmilk]

Alt-pop riser Chloe Rodgers has shared her new video 'The Algea' in full. The Nottingham based talent sparkled in 2020 in spite of the pervasive gloom, releasing two startling singles. Her third release could be her best yet, with 'The Algea' hitting streaming services just before Christmas. The video captures those mid-winter chills, while providing a platform for Chloe to express herself. Constructed alongside creative director Kate Lomas, it was shot at Newstead Abbey in Nottingham. Chloe comments... "I wanted to use a music box in the video to represent being objectified and getting stuck in the same cycles, as that’s largely what the song is about. I wrote the song when I was 18, but didn’t add the verse at the end about claiming my power back until a couple of years later when I felt a bit stronger. We tried to reflect this in the video too with the Chloe in white sort of protecting the other Chloe of the past." Kate Lomas adds: "This was such a joy to watch come together, the video concept is based around the idea that Chloe is the character in a music box, she’s the performer that’s spinning round on an endless cycle for other people’s entertainment. The video tells the tale of Chloe definitely breaking this cycle and no longer playing this role." [via Clash]

Jaguar Jonze has announced her ANTIHERO EP will be released on April 16 via Nettwerk Records. With the EP announcement, Deena shares the official music video for her latest single, 'ASTRONAUT,' the follow-up to two previously released videos for 'DEADALIVE' and 'MURDER'. Each of the five music videos for the forthcoming ANTIHERO EP will come together through bold-palette videos that transform into an antihero character “in a cyberpunk, anime, futuristic, graphic, almost sci-fi world,” says Deena. Deena adds, “as ‘ASTRONAUT’ delves into my anxiety, I wanted the film to reflect that in a simple way that helped portray how my anxiety can sometimes manifest - a contradiction between feeling lost in vast spaces and trapped in claustrophobic spaces. I had a specific idea in mind, which meant that I had to undergo stunt training with professionals and learn how to maneuver in a wire harness. Most of the video had to be shot in a single take because of the stunts' nature in safety preparation, time consumption, and impact on the body. I'm still recovering from the bruises, but it was all worth it, and the team was amazing in pulling it all together. I'm proud of this one as it is 3 minutes of my rawest vulnerability, visually interpreted. I'm also finally ready to share it.” 'ASTRONAUT' is the sound of Deena liberating herself from a lifelong battle with anxiety.  “It is a human trait. It’s how we survive in the wild,” she says. “We’re all wired as humans to be quite anxious.  As females more so, because we’re more susceptible to danger.”

Rising star Mulay shares the smoking visuals for her new single, ‘Antracyte’. It’s the culminating release in a three-part video series from the Berlin-based alternative R&B singer-songwriter/producer/artist, ahead of her highly anticipated EP, which comes out at the end of the month via Groenland Records. Mulay explains about the single, “'ANTRACYTE' is the intro and title track to my debut EP. It’s the soundtrack to the birth of a villain and captures the moment of complete honesty to yourself about the awareness of doing wrong by the ones you love while feeling the inability to turn around. It’s about the desire to taste forbidden fruits, to cross and explore what lies beyond the line and the self-empowering feeling of playing by your own rules defeating the fear of consequences and the power of moral concepts. 'ANTRACYTE' tells a story of contradicting emotions, a story of love, lust, pain and a longing for more. It’s about facing your own darkness and sins, about self-revelation, emancipation and about paying its price, resigning to your fate.”

Only a band like shallow pools could make a blast of 'ice water' sound refreshing and necessary in the dead of New England winter. But the Massachusetts indie-pop group is usually pushing against the current of what we’d normally expect, and now the quartet hits us with a dose of cold reality through their new single and video. 'ice water' is a vivid new single that confronts the mental health struggles brought on by quarantine and isolation, and even the shallow pools aesthetic has reflected this by shifting from bright glowing neons to a more subdued color palette of beiges and browns. Call it a sign of the times, and call 'ice water' the sound of now; upbeat and jovial on the surface, a comet of pop smarts and hooks, but with the darker shine that resides in our lives when we’re positioned away from the screens and digital scenes. As Glynnis Brennan sings “Every day’s the same and / There’s no breaking out / Like I’m stuck here / Going through the motions now” well, we feel that. shallow pools describe “ice water” as “a departure from the music we’ve made in the past, but it’s the perfect bridge between our old and new sound.” That is certainly the case, and 'ice water' continues to showcase the group as one of New England’s sharpest, following a string of 2020 singles that included pop standouts like 'Haunted' and 'Afterlight'. “We wrote the song with our friend and producer, Chris Curran, and learned a lot about the type of music we want to be making in the process,” the band adds. “The song is about the impact that the state of the world has had on our mental health, specifically in the last year. We’re excited to share it and hope that anyone who has had similar experiences will find some comfort in knowing that there are others who can relate.” [via Vanyaland]

#videos of the week #simpson #lana del rey #g flip #mxmtoon #pearl charles #dodie #people club #pale waves #zoe wees #julien baker #teenage joans #number one popstar #chloe rodgers #mulay #jaguar jonze #shallow pools

[love-takes-work]

The Tale of Steven - Outline & Review

The Tale of Steven is a wonderful, timeless-feeling storybook about identity, authority, and finding your own way. It's got an innovative design that requires the reader to turn the book upside-down, sideways, and right-side-up to get the whole story, sometimes all on the same spread of art and text, and as we come to find out ultimately, this "tale of Steven" really is STEVEN'S story.

We begin with White Diamond, matriarch of the Gem homeworld, setting the stage--and not only does she frame the other Diamonds uncharitably (especially the littlest Diamond, Pink), she even sets the tone by admonishing THE READER straight away, scolding us to turn the book her way to read her words. (We must turn the book upside-down to read her perspective. Very nice.)

As we listen to White Diamond tell us how ridiculous Pink Diamond is and frame her as "impossible to understand," we also see exactly why Pink felt driven to leave her home. White apparently appointed herself the authority on keeping Pink in her place, and we're treated to White's huge pale hands holding little Pink Diamond in her tiny pink throne, “right”-side-up. White's perspective is proper, and she is to be praised, you see, for understanding that Pink's desires and attributes are not worthwhile and need to be forced out of her. Pink is shown as having run away to Earth and reinventing herself as a new Gem: Rose Quartz. Suddenly, we are able to turn the book sideways and see what she's thinking too. (White does NOT approve.)

The Earth, where Rose Quartz is allowed to love herself and love her surroundings, is simultaneously called "grotesque" by White, and we're seeing the same planet through two sets of eyes. White sees Rose as "stubborn" and "absurd," while Rose just gives us an aside about not listening to White if we don't want to and giving us a choice to read the book her way. As Rose continues to depict rainbows and falling in love with a human--Greg Universe--White is getting angrier. She shrieks, "You're ruining my story!" Rose, rightly, replies, "This isn't your story."

Soon, Rose has bequeathed her Gem--the center of her being--to her half-human son, Steven, with the consequence of ceasing to be herself. Baby Steven appears with his father and Rose Quartz's three companions--Amethyst, Garnet, and Pearl. White Diamond finally abandons trying to narrate this story, escaping with a vindictive comment and an attempt to frame Rose as simply Pink Diamond hiding "inside an unwitting creature." Rose's perspective expresses that she wanted her son to experience the love and acceptance she never received. And then, Steven's perspective pops onto the scene. We can now turn the book fully right-side-up to read his tale.

As the story slides fully into Steven's perspective, Rose's hopes for him still line up on the sides of the pages, longing for him to experience kindness, to never know the awfulness she went through on Homeworld, to never have to feel the criticism issued by the other Diamonds, and to be able to tell his own story one day. Steven reflects on Rose's influence on his life, how he's heard about her and the more truth he's discovered the more everything frightens him. There are many perspectives, he recognizes. Perhaps there is more than one way to read the story.

White's perspective, upside-down now, returns alongside all this. She suggests "Pink" has come crawling back to turn the world the "right" way again, and she's puzzled by Steven's appearance, but she's determined to rescue Pink from herself by separating Steven from his Gem. Meanwhile, Steven's been wondering what his relationship is to Pink and Rose--is she inside him? Is he actually her? What's real?

But they all learn the truth when Steven's Gem reveals that he was also Steven inside there. All along, he was himself and no one else. This is, and has always been, his story, and he has been right about who he is.

Several wordless frames depict Steven's two aspects finding each other, reconnecting, and becoming one again. Newly confident in who he is and having asserted as much in the face of crushing authority, Steven declares, "This way feels right to me." The orientation of the book AND the definition of himself are the focus here, and for the first time, White begins to consider that her perspective was the wrong side up in someone else's story.

Steven closes by claiming the book as his own (writing his own name in the "This Book Belongs To" space, which is superimposed over a Diamond Authority symbol with the Pink Diamond on top instead of on the bottom). The end dedication is made out "To Trans & Gender-Expansive Kids."

To reflect on this sentiment and the rest of the book, I will say that a large portion of the Steven Universe fandom already recognized some threads of a trans allegory in the animation this is based on. Steven, though he is not specifically depicted as a confirmed trans character in the show, does not demonstrate or seem to experience toxic masculinity in association with his quest to be powerful, and has no qualms about using symbolism, iconography, and apparel that is more commonly associated in today's Western society with women and girls (e.g., the color pink, flower symbolism, protective and defensive rather than aggressive and offensive behaviors, wearing jewelry and dresses occasionally without it being a gag). His assertion that he is Steven and not Pink Diamond or Rose Quartz has many parallels with a common trans narrative--including pronouns that the Diamonds refused to respect--even though it is also its own thing since human beings do not have to defend that they are not literally their mother. 

They do, however, frequently struggle with authorities in their lives "correcting" them on who and what they are "for their own good," brushing off the seriousness of the misery it causes, and these children do find themselves forced to wear clothes, use names, and adhere to roles that do not match who they are. They even sometimes hear authorities mourn the "loss" of a different-gender version of them and accuse the child of being selfish for wanting to manifest their truth instead of being the son or daughter the parent thought they had.

It is my deepest hope that authorities like this can learn to turn the book around.

It is so important for children to learn that they ARE the authority on their identity, and while some well-meaning authorities in their lives may frame their identity as a phase or a fake, they do not have to accept this view of the world, or even that it comes from a loving place. White Diamond did not sound like a stern but caring figure to me. She sounded like a tyrant who is convinced of her own correctness, determined to gaslight and shame Pink Diamond into becoming the person SHE wanted. Love is listening. Love is nurturing. Love is seeing pleasure and pain and letting those things guide you in supporting a happy existence. Kids whose gender is complicated and young people who develop misunderstood identities need books like this to center them in their own stories and empower them to show others how to read their book.

Except for the section of the book where Steven's organic self and Gem self are separated and re-combine, the message is solid for readers who have not watched the show. But because of how important that wordless series of panels is and how much background you actually have to have to understand what's happening there, I recommend this book primarily for fans of the show who have seen "Change Your Mind" and the episodes that support it. The other depictions are more powerful and illuminating for those who have context from the show also, but the main purpose of the book can be readily understood without that background. 

If you haven't seen the show, all you need to know is that Steven is a hybrid Gem/human who has a gemstone in his human body, and it gives him superhuman powers. Gem characters generate a body from their Gem, while Steven's body is organic and presumably NOT generated from the Gem. White Diamond removed Steven's Gem from his belly, expecting Pink Diamond to take form out of the Gem. She thought his organic half was just a human that the Gem was stuck in. But instead, a Pink Steven emerged and went back to his organic self to merge again, proving that he is Steven, not someone else, through and through. And he truly loves and knows himself.

A couple other notes fans of the show might enjoy: White Diamond's hypothesis that Pink Diamond was "hiding in an unwitting creature" is really interesting--she knew what Steven was but believed he was just a normal human hosting a Gem. Interesting. White's disdain toward Yellow and Blue for "spoiling" Pink is an interesting addition to what we know about her, too. Pink is pictured standing on her hands on her throne, upside-down, which is interesting since it's both "silly" and an expression of her right-side-up perspective (since, when we obey White, we're reading the book upside-down!). White's commentary that she kept Pink in line is also interesting, considering we've seen way more of how Yellow and Blue treated her and none of that was very nice either (yet they're the "nice" ones in this story, indulging her even though we know they abused her). There's a really cute image of Rose lounging on the beach with Greg in what looks like a swimsuit. Connie is in a frame with the Gems looking through a telescope. And there's a frame with Garnet holding pink and blue butterflies.

Inventive, beautiful, moving, and so necessary. Buy a copy. Let kids turn the book around.

[SU Book and Comic Reviews]

#steven universe #the tale of steven #long post #trans stories #su analysis #myblog

[thereadinghobbit]

"Never underestimate yourself."

Fifteen-year old Virginia feels like an outsider. She doesn't have any friends in school since her best friend moved away and even among her family she feels like the odd duck out. She can't speak French, like her family is, she isn't brown haired and popular and gorgeous, like her family is, but most of all, she's fat, unlike her family. Virginia does her best to navigate teenage life while fat by adhering to her self-imposed rules, but her life is about to be turned upside down when her brother is accused of something terrible. Then rules seem not so simple any more.. 

★★★★★

I first read this book many moons ago (near a decade) when I was a young shy, fat teenager. I had never read a book or seen a movie about a fat teen who was the hero, not the sidekick, and whose problems weren't magically solved by losing weight. This book made such a big impression on me at that age. Mind, this was all long before the body positive movement became more mainstream, long before 'health at every size'. For me this was such an important book (and still is). I didn't turn my life around like Virginia, but I do believe this book put the first seeds of resistance in the back of my mind. 

Because this novel is such a rebellion against diet culture and fatphobia. What mostly struck me was how Mackler manages to get so much of it so right. She doesn't only show how bullying/prejudice can ruin a person's self esteem (although there isn't an amazing amount of bullying going on in The Earth) but also how ingrained fatphobia is in society/people and how much damage it can do to people. Even when they know better, like Virginia's mom who is an adolescent psychologist, just can't shake the notion that Virginia needs to be thin to be happy due, to her own childhood insecurities.  And this idea and the way her family treats her because of those ideas actually....

Keep reading on my blog!

#book review #booklr #bookblr #carolyn mackler #the earth my butt and other big round things #reading #books #book #young adult books #young adult reading #young adult literature #young adult #YA #my post

[internaljiujitsu]

Making It Feel Normal: Explaining Our New Reality To A Five Year Old

My daughter, Grace, named after the U2 song, is an easy going kid. She pretty much goes with the flow and is down for whatever. Grace will go from dancing ballet to practicing judo from one moment to the next and can get down to The Beatles or Reggaeton just the same. Traditional gender roles aren’t something she grew up with and I started her watching women’s MMA when she was three so she could see that girls are just as tough as boys (if I’m being honest, they’re usually tougher.) I’m a very liberal dad and I don’t believe in bullshitting my kid. When she asked if Santa and the Easter Bunny are real, I told her it was up to her to decide. She concluded that they were the creations of well meaning parents.

Now, as I tie a bandana around her beautiful little face before taking the trip back to her mom’s house, she doesn’t even bat an eye. She’ll go right along watching her favorite cartoon while I dress us up like Bonnie and Clyde.

“It’s because of the germs, right daddy?”

Grace was born in 2015, a year when the world seemed to change dramatically again as the ugliness that a lot of people had been holding in was given permission to go forth and multiply. I was worried about bringing someone new into the madness. As I wonder if things will ever go back to “normal”, it’s easy to forget that normal was way different five years ago.

Society is strange. We want to grow and evolve, yet we fight our own expansion out of fear. Conserving what exists becomes more important than progressing to the next level of our development. Going back to a romanticized time long past becomes preferable to the unknown fortune of the future, despite the promise it may hold — but when you have no point of reference, you are only left with the now.

Grace’s adaptation to the new normal caught me by surprise. While I initially felt sad at the shitty world she inherited, that was soon replaced by admiration. She hasn’t complained about not seeing her friends, going to the playground or being able to have sleepovers with her cousin. Instead, she’s seemed happier than ever because we’ve been spending so much time together.

Granted, she’s only missing out on Pre-K and having a birthday in January means she’s more mature than the other kids in her class, so we don’t have any fears of her falling behind.. She’s also been in school since she was two years old, so this year wasn’t her first exposure to the socialization that structured education offers. Her mother and I have always shared complex concepts with her that most children her age are not introduced to. We both felt stifled and underestimated as children, and are always sure to give our daughter the credit she deserves.

As for conventional school work, teaching her how to read is about the toughest thing I’ve got to do with Grace. That’s been made way easier by a puzzle game her mom got her where she matches a piece displaying a written word to another piece with a picture on it. The rest of her curriculum is stuff we would normally do for fun: Art, Jiu Jitsu, Hide and Seek, reading stories, dancing, a board game — and lots of snacking. Five year olds never stop eating - or at least asking for food, taking a bite and then asking for something else. She actually proposed we play a game where I pretend to be a waiter at a restaurant bringing her unlimited dishes to sample. I couldn’t tell if she was just busting my balls.

Having a routine has made this much easier. Although I do mix up the day a bit, the general structure remains, with enough familiarity that Grace has been able to settle in and actually look forward to our time together more than before. Prior to quarantine, I only saw her for a couple of hours during the week and overnight on Saturdays. Now she’s with me every other day, all day and sleeps over once or twice a week. The virus has brought us closer together.

It also really feels like we’re here for each other - like we’re all we’ve got right now. The only people I’m seeing are my girlfriend, daughter and ex-wife during pickups and drop offs. Going through something like this with another person is bound to reinforce bonds, or rebuild them. It’s nice to be stuck with people that make you feel like you’ve got everything you need. Having the ancillary figures in your life filtered away to find the ones you hold dearest are worthy of your devotion is refreshing when you’ve questioned the authenticity of everyone you’ve come across. There’s a difference between thinking you can count on someone and knowing you can.

In these weird times, it’s been important to make sure Grace knows I’m something she can count on. Too much has changed all at once for her. Divorce already turned her world upside down. A half a decade in, she doesn’t know what it’s like to live in a country without war, constant surveillance, a mad king, a deadly plague, or having to take your shoes off when you get on a plane. To her, this is just what life is.

But it’s also the age of #metoo — a time when sexual predators are decried while a confessed pussy grabber holds the highest office in the land. The mixed messages mean it’s especially important for fathers of little girls to promote an empowering message to their daughters. Once a generation of young women has been raised with rock solid self esteem and the expectation of being treated with equal respect, violators will quickly be excoriated.

I’d like to think this entire system is just rebooting itself. The political process, our mental and physical health, communication, the way we treat each other and our very idea of who we are has been challenged, and it was probably well overdue. Grace’s generation will have to rebuild — pick up the pieces we’ve left smashed up into bits and reshape things the way they see fit. They’ll get to choose the world they live in because the ones before them fucked things up enough to forfeit their turn at being in charge.

For those innocent enough, the now instantly becomes normal. With no time spent lamenting past glory, they only relish in the current experience. Be it pleasure or pain, they experience it fully, embodying the emotion of the moment. Just as quickly, they forget. They let go of the experience and the feeling it brought — except in the case of trauma.

Making sure none of this scares them is up to us. The way we behave and the front we present will frame this reality for our children. Just as the coronavirus has challenged our fortitude, guiding our kids through this while ensuring that they maintain an optimistic and powerful self-image demands that we practice all we’ve preached. This is the time to espouse the virtues of faith and demonstrate to those whose futures are our responsibility that in the face of uncertainty, it is most critical that we believe.

Luckily, my job is easy - In the words of the great Paul David Hewson:

Because Grace makes beauty

Out of ugly things

Grace finds beauty

In everything

Grace finds goodness in everything

#parenting #covid19 #coronavirus #mentalhealth #Mind #mindset #kids #motivation #wellness #coach #internaljiujitsu #grace

[a1detective]

Update, 12/19/2019

If we can be forced to say a man is a woman, there is nothing we can’t be forced to say.  If a lesbian can be forced to have sex with men, there is nothing we can’t be forced to do.  We will all increasingly be pressured to publicly affirm our support for these mores to the point where there will be nothing we can’t be forced to think.  And that’s the point.  A society whose subjects must not only declare but actually convince themselves that 2+2=5 is a society that is truly totalitarian, regardless of whatever lip service its politicians pay to democracy.

Read more: https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/12/transgenders_attacking_ Follow us: @AmericanThinker on Twitter | AmericanThinker on Facebook

——————————————

Original Article:

Satire: BY JEFFREY A. FRIEDBERG

FROM BENEATH AREA 52….

images.techhive.com

<<<<<——————>>>>>

NOTE from beneath Area 52: 9/8/2019

This piece of satire really struck a nerve or a thong or jockstrap or tooth or something. Because it’s still getting Visits, and heated “Comments,” even though it was originally posted,  7/8/2019, which a relatively long time ago, in Internet days.

9/12/2019: ACTUALLY, it even seems to me, to be under some sort of attack….

If you hate the article so much, why don’t you just scrub the article from your site(s)?

Why Not?

I GUESS, MAYBE, BECAUSE IT GETS YOU CLICKS ??  🙂

This article is getting so many clicks, maybe I should put some ads on my site, which earns NOTHING, and write more articles like this one?

Thank you so much for the Traffic   🙂

<<<——->>>

Let me “signal” here that I don’t care what “Gay” does with each other. We always had Uncle Maurice—who was NEVER, “in the closet.” The Gay Hairdressers Association of Philadelphia always treated me politely as an 18 year old, hot-looking, lifeguard. 

Jeffrey A. Friedberg…”Even I was Once As You….”

<<<<<——————>>>>>

KATHY GRIFFIN IS DOING **WHAT** TO SMILING, SELF-PROCLAIMED, GAY ANDERSON COOPER? “Kathy Griffin has taken TV to a whole new level by giving Anderson Cooper’s ‘sack’ (her words, not mine) a smooch on CNN’s live New Year’s Eve broadcast.  I wonder if she missed the announcement that he’s gay? You can see the whole twisted thing here.”

———

Groin To Groin??

cdn.newspunch.com – OMG! I thought that was a woman! – Child laying on top of “Drag Queen Reader,” at a “reading.” Laying there, Groin to groin?

BUT—OH, WAIT!

STOP THE PRESSES!

THIS UPDATE (9/12/2019) EXPLAINS EVERYTHING:

Drag queen blames little children for shocking photos at public library

  Child Abuse, Drag Queen Story Hour, Drag Queen Story Time, Homosexuality, Oregon, Portland, Public Libraries, Transgenderism

PORTLAND, Oregon, September 10, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — The drag queen who was shown in multiple disturbing photos to have frolicked on the floor with young children crawling over him at a Drag Queen Story Hour blames those children for the backlash he experienced.

LifeSiteNews first brought photo evidence of children having inappropriate contact with drag queen Carla Rossi at Portland, Oregon’s St. John’s Library to the attention of the public in July. The photos, which had been posted on the Multnomah County Library’s own Flickr account in October 2018, were quickly removed after the LifeSiteNews report went viral.

Drag queen Rossi, who last year said the kids were climbing on top of him after a dance move called a “death drop,” changed his tune after receiving criticism, saying the kids knocked him over as he tried to fight them off. He also blames his bad hip and the six-inch heels he was wearing at the time.

In an October 2018 Instagram posting in which he was pictured with a little girl lying on top of him, he said, “Drag Queen Storytime yesterday ended with a death drop on a bubble wrap dance floor as the babies crawled all over Carla Gulliver’s Travels–style, and I have the best job in the world.”

Shortly after LifeSiteNews drew attention to the troubling scene in the Portland library,  Rossi’s gleeful tune changed. In a subsequent Instagram post, he said he didn’t so much want to “set the record straight” as “break it altogether.”

“The photographed kids knocked me over and piled on me, and I laughed with them and their parents and the library director and told them we had to get up as I tried to look out for my bad hip in the process,” said Rossi.

“What would you do differently if kids having a Cher dance party — on bubble wrap — knocked you over in six-inch heels and a floor length rainbow caftan?” he asked.

—https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/drag-queen-blames-little-children-for-shocking-photos-at-public-library

https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/drag-queen-blames-little-children-for-shocking-photos-at-public-library

———

Ass To Groin??

rwcnews.com – “8-Year-Old Becomes Drag Queen, Left Supports Behavior Despite Claims Of Child Abuse.”

  Duckduckgo.com

<<<——————>>>

  GAY MEN IN MUSLIM HANDS. “Kill All The Gays:”

“اقتلهم.”

What does the US Liberal say? “Oh, that photo was taken in Turkey.” I see—so— what? In that case it doesn’t matter? Ca ne fait rien?

        OMG! And I Thought This Was A Woman! i.dailymail.co.uk

GAY SEX TO BE REQUIRED FOR ALL? (“EXCEPT MUSLIMS?”)

Probably not immediately, but maybe—yeah.

Well, no, but—yeah, could be.

Nah. No.

Oh, speaking satirically, maybe at some future time, maybe when the diseased media, politicians, Hollywood, and other perverted social warriors decide, “The time is right,” but not right now. Nah.

BTW, no word from Muslims, but I already, however, totally do see maybe having Gay sex as a Test—a pre-requirement for joining ANTIFA (pronounced, “an-teefa.”) 🙂

  * I read someplace where Transgenders are upset and mad that “straights won’t date them.”

I can’t remember where I saw that. But this obviously has to be fixed. It can maybe be done by legislation or Executive order. Under democrat rules of equality, these trannie “folks” are apparently entitled to have sex with ANYbody they choose.

It seems to me that the LBGTXYZ (or Whatever) already rules Earth.

fthmb.tqn.com

It seems impossible to make a million, run for office, or keep your job without extolling a Gay Lifestyle, praising all sorts of not-usual sex, and watching Supergirl on Canadian TV.

When you even have the failed bartender, calling itself, “AOC,” on the Gay Bandwagon, then you know there is a large, loose, and smelly Movement coming.

“UHHhhhhhhh…I feel it COMING! (EEehhhhhhhh!”

Google, July 8, 2019

* I read someplace where we have already been asked to “take in” Nancy Pelosi’s gentle, divine, illegals. You know, board and feed them in our homes? The way King George had us take in British soldiers around 1776?

# # # #

UPDATE, 7/9/19: “

“NYT: Middle-Class Americans Must Sacrifice Their Suburbs to Aid Poor Immigrants”

I CAN ALMOST NOT EVEN KEEP UP WITH THIS WILD DEMOCRAT LIBERAL CRAP. IT JUST KEEPS POURING OUT—LIKE PROJECTIVE DIARRHEA.

YET, I REMAIN PROPHETIC.

SUBSCRIBE HERE.

* I ask, can demanding that we all have gay sex be far behind?

The intention of a group called SHFA (Super Happy Fun America) to run a Straight Pride Parade in Boston drew a whopping amount of poisonous attacks from the Left media, both social and mainstream.

The SHFA has been adjudicated as promoting homophobia, which is totally untrue, but at least could be remotely perceived, giving the usual twisted logic from the Left.  There are gays among the SHFA members and main figures of the event — Milo Yiannopoulos, a “right-wing” openly gay activist, has been appointed the parade’s grand marshal.

Nevertheless, the “homophobia” tag is not nearly enough.  On top of that, the parade organizers have been branded in the mainstream media as “people with connections to white supremacists” (defined as such by the ACLU) and the Alt Right.  Apparently, some among SHFA have certain association with the ResistMarxism organization, built with an aspiration to defend our Constitution, our Declaration of Independence, and the economic system based on capitalism (rather than communism or Hitler-style national socialism).  That, in the eyes of “progressives,” is a major sin on its own.

—americanthinker.com

Wow, I give this group, SHFA, positive credit. Even though they are already an object of leftist, deluded, lying, communist scorn. And will probably draw hatred, and violence.

I mean—they represent what was normal in America just a few years ago. Now, apparent maniacs have seemingly turned a world upside down with an unfathomable drive for seemingly “gay” ultimate supremacy.

And, “Socialist” sounds so much nicer than, ‘COMMUNIST.”

Who will protect this patriot group from the “tolerant,” benevolent, divine Left? Not the mayor of marathon-bombed and 9/11-airport Boston; he appears to be a deluded fool. Not the politicians, media scum, or kneeling (kneeling?) “entertainers.

The police? Maybe; we still have to see if they will even “approve” the march, we are told.

Because, you see: in my opinion, a “Gay,” Leftist, Communist, Illegal, Muslim-Jihadist, and Democrat-almost-Mafia-like Rule has somehow been insinuated into America’s Blood—as being “the new Normal.”

d.ibtimes.co.uk

YOU HAD BETTER OBEY.

BECAUSE, “Social media,” and mafiosi, ‘bots, algorithms, search engines, leftists, and communists, can Find you.

They can SILENCE you.

Not only might they critique your punctuation, and grammar, But They Might Also evaluate sentence construction!

WORSE— they can be FUNNY!

Even though it’s just satire, they can say it’s not— that it’s “the government,” that it’s “a conservative ploy,” or that it’s “from Area 51!” Nothing matters to Them—certainly not the truth—only ascendancy, of their Communist Doctrine.

But, they Can Still Fix You in Place. They can Scorn and Attack you, They can Swarm as taught doctrinally in “schools,” Destroy you, and Get You Fired. Your Life could be over.

Therein lies your democrat “freedom” and “equality.”

Love it. Live it:

“FREE AT LAST!”

  Hey Kids, on both your sides: Jeez—CAN YOU MAYBE BE MORE TOLERANT OF EACH OTHER?

.

  Jeff Dunham’s, “Achmed The Dead Terrorist.” – i.ytimg.com/vi/kF7znANAAkM/maxresdefault.jpg

* *  PS: Kids, I had so much hate mail, sex-filth, and death-threats from the “tolerant, fair, humorless, peace-loving” side—who seemed so hatefully intolerant and violent toward satire—that I could not keep The site cleaned of their remarks. I mean, I don’t think I can print what some sent me. 

So, I closed down “Comments.” 🙂

<<<——————>>>

    UPDATE: Will Having Gay Sex Soon Be Required For All American Citizens? (“Excluding Muslims?”) Update, 12/19/2019 If we can be forced to say a man is a woman, there is nothing we can't be forced to say…

#gays #gays rule #Gays usa #transgender gay